Turn it on Again- A Genesis Forum
Genesis and Related >> Man of Spells- Tony Banks Board >> New classical album recorded?http://genesisgts.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=tbsolo&action=display&num=1493735396New classical album recorded?
Post by champagnemeadow on May 2nd, 2017, 09:29am

Hi,

it seems Tony has been recording a follow-up to 'Six' in Prague again with the Czech National Orchestra... Even working on his birthday, it seems.

CM Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by BlinkeredArcade on May 2nd, 2017, 2:34pm

Nice! I personally like his classical albums the most (especially Seven), so really looking forward to this!
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by FeelItComing on May 2nd, 2017, 5:49pm

This is encouraging.
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by DoubleGlazing on May 5th, 2017, 11:34pm

Cool! During his last spate of interviews, he mentioned that he had three pieces done and he needed a few more. Glad to see they're (probably) all complete.

Also with Phil and Mike working on tours, it's nice to see what he's doing with his time.

I hope it doesn't take forever between recording and release this time. (Didn't one of the previous classical albums take more than a year between recording and release?)
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by Jerry on Sep 21st, 2017, 12:41pm

Thank you for the link and the news. I am definitely looking forward to more music from Tony!
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by letraca on Oct 2nd, 2017, 12:28pm

Has anyone any updates on the progress of the album? I thought the hard part of writing, orchestrating and recording was over... certainly it can't take a full year of production to the release date! Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by letraca on Dec 5th, 2017, 2:42pm

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Is he still trying to find a label for the record? I can't imagine Naxos would think of passing on a third Tony Banks orchestral project!

‘5’ is a brand new orchestral album from Tony Banks and will be released on 2 February 2018 through BMG Records.

A Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee as a member of Genesis (2010), ‘5’ is Banks’ tenth album outside of the band and his third orchestral album following the releases of ‘Seven: A Suite for Orchestra’ (2004) and ‘Six Pieces for Orchestra’ (2012).

‘5’ is a collection of five compositions written by Tony Banks and was produced by long-time collaborator Nick Davis. Nick Ingman, renowned orchestrator and conductor, agreed to be involved in the project immediately after hearing the demos played to him personally by Banks. Ingman has worked with a plethora of artists and musicians from David Bowie and Oasis to the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The recording was built up over various sessions, the first in London’s Angel Studios where solos and percussion were recorded before a transfer to Prague for a week where concentrated sets of three sessions a day with the orchestra and choir. Recording section by section is a more rock/pop method and seen as unorthodox for an orchestral album, but this method allowed Banks, who also played all of the piano parts*, to use his vast musical experience and give himself greater creative control.

The impetus for ‘5’ was a commission for the 70th Cheltenham Music Festival in 2014, for which Banks composed the original version of what now appears as the opening track, ‘Prelude to a Million Years’. Then it was entitled ‘Arpegg’ and received its world première on Saturday 5 July 2014 with Maxime Tortelier conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Following some consideration, Banks and Davis worked on four further pieces to join ‘Arpegg’ and form this new album. Feeling incomplete as an album of four compositions, Banks pulled inspiration from an earlier piece composed during his Genesis days and named it ‘Renaissance’ which completed the album.

Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by FeelItComing on Dec 12th, 2017, 5:21pm

YES! I can't believe this is going to happen now I'm on this forum. Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by .:Krissy:. on Dec 12th, 2017, 7:06pm

Preordered my copy!

Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by WutheringNights76 on Dec 12th, 2017, 8:18pm

What are people's tips for the Genesis inspiration?

Mine would have to be Mad Man Moon.

Does composed during his Genesis days mean it will be a song done by Genesis?

Maybe Firth of Fifth to keep with the five theme!
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by Merryman72 on Dec 13th, 2017, 05:27am

When I first read that bit I interpreted it as meaning a piece composed by Tony but never recorded with the band, but now I think about it yes they could mean an actual Genesis song. That could be very interesting.

Perhaps a piece drawing on the original From the Undertow/Undertow composition? I bet he always wanted to do that with an orchestra.
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by WutheringNights76 on Dec 13th, 2017, 05:35am

When I first read that bit I interpreted it as meaning a piece composed by Tony but never recorded with the band, but now I think about it yes they could mean an actual Genesis song. That could be very interesting.

Perhaps a piece drawing on the original From the Undertow/Undertow composition? I bet he always wanted to do that with an orchestra.

Oh, that would be something! From the Undertow is spine tingling!The fact that it is called Renaissance suggested to me he rebirthed one of his Genesis tunes, but yes, it could be anything.P.S. I think the cover looks amazing!
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by BlinkeredArcade on Dec 14th, 2017, 03:37am

Finally!! So excited for this!!
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by Merryman72 on Dec 14th, 2017, 07:48am

I've seen it pointed out that the release date for 5 will be 50 years to the day since the very first Genesis release - "The Silent Sun" (b/w "That's Me") was released on 2nd February 1968. I wanted to double-check the date so I went and found this at http://www.genesismuseum.com/press/press.htm -

Now there's a thing!
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by Schrottrocker on Dec 15th, 2017, 06:54am

So now we can safely assume there's going to be no less than 4 more albums following '5'. And then I will be looking forward to Tony's homage to John Cage when he releases 'Zero' Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by Sredni on Dec 15th, 2017, 2:20pm

Say, maybe "Renaissance" is a reworking of "Silent Sun". Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by Jerry on Dec 17th, 2017, 2:24pm

As someone who really enjoys Tony's solo music and all his work in Genesis more than anything else, this is great news and I placed my order as soon as I heard! Like many of you here, I have been waiting for over "5" years for a follow-up to "Six." I really like the pre-order packages, including the vinyl double LP and the sheet music. It appears as if the blank fourth LP side has all of the different representations of "5" in languages ancient and current, which is really clever. More importantly, I am sure the playing and compositions will be classic Banks. I can't wait until February!
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by .:Krissy:. on Dec 19th, 2017, 9:07pm

So the first minute of Renaissance is something he wrote in the 90s when he was trying to get into soul music

Check the interview again. Actually, I heard his comment as being "when I was trying to get into FILM music," not soul music.
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by FeelItComing on Feb 2nd, 2018, 4:11pm

The album release date has been put back to March.

Here is an interview where amongst other things he says the following:

I'm fed up with these books, I really am. We did the book Chapter And Verse with Genesis and then Mike did his book which I didn't really like because he was a bit disparaging about me. I haven't read Phil's and I haven't read Richard's. I think both Richard and Phil are a bit nicer with everybody. Perhaps Phil not with himself, but … anyway, what would I do? Writing a book about me? Everybody infaltes their own contributions I suppose. And then it becomes some kind of point scoring stuff. I don't need to do that. I think Steve is doing one too, isn't he?

I haven't read Mike's book. Is this true?

And about the album, where he was unsure whether he wanted to play on it:

There are no solo piano parts on FIVE anyway, it's just how I wrote them and sometimes also with the idea to replace the piano in the end. In contrast: SIX was a record where I didn't want to play on it at all. I am more of a writer, not a player anyway.

He's had a very long career as the keyboardist with one of the biggest bands of all time & he says that?

Here is an interview where amongst other things he says the following:

I'm fed up with these books, I really am. We did the book Chapter And Verse with Genesis and then Mike did his book which I didn't really like because he was a bit disparaging about me. I haven't read Phil's and I haven't read Richard's. I think both Richard and Phil are a bit nicer with everybody. Perhaps Phil not with himself, but … anyway, what would I do? Writing a book about me? Everybody infaltes their own contributions I suppose. And then it becomes some kind of point scoring stuff. I don't need to do that. I think Steve is doing one too, isn't he?

I haven't read Mike's book. Is this true?

I haven't read Mike's book either - but that is quite a statement! Although, I can imagine Tony saying it with a smile on his face and a bit of a self-deprecating laugh.

And about the album, where he was unsure whether he wanted to play on it:

There are no solo piano parts on FIVE anyway, it's just how I wrote them and sometimes also with the idea to replace the piano in the end. In contrast: SIX was a record where I didn't want to play on it at all. I am more of a writer, not a player anyway.

He's had a very long career as the keyboardist with one of the biggest bands of all time & he says that?

Oh, he's always saying things like that. He also likes to say that they only played their own songs in the early days because they couldn't get anyone else to play them! And I guess he's thinking in terms of the classical world as well - I imagine his actual playing ability is not quite up there with the top piano players on the circuit.
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by Schrottrocker on Feb 3rd, 2018, 06:31am

By any means, now we know Steve is writing a book too! Blame Tony for ruining the surprise Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by progfan on Feb 4th, 2018, 6:13pm

I read Mike's book. I only recall the details of one part; something about how some bikers in the audience were causing trouble, Mike told them off and a ruckus started. I guess he was counting on Tony to be his backup, only to look over his shoulder to see that Tony had hightailed it out of there! Something like that. There might have been another incident with Tony saving his own butt, but I can't remember Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by HomeByTheSea on Feb 5th, 2018, 08:20am

Sorry. The email I got was my new estimated ARRIVAL date (although it states that 'the release date was changed by the supplier' it doesn't say to when). For some reason I thought the album was being released at the start of the month, not the end. But looking at my order it is February 23. Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by p.w. on Feb 28th, 2018, 05:47am

I received my pre-order copy with Double Vinyl LP, CD and the signed music folio and it is an awesome package for any dedicated Banksian like myself. I agree with Tony that Five is the best of his orchestral albums and is closest to the instrumental material he did on A Curious Feeling, which is one of my favorite albums of all time. The orchestral format allows Tony to spread his wings and to not be confined with the conventional three-minute pop format. Also, Five is a Chord Fest! As Tony says, he often uses 173 chords instead of 3 chords--and that makes all of the difference. The Vinyl LP version is neat in that the album covers three sides, and the fourth side is an etching of several lingual representations of the number five, from ancient to current. The folio is signed by Tony and contains the 43 page orchestral score to Prelude to a Million Years. I am listening to the wonderful vinyl version and gazing at the gatefold cover as I write, which is awesome!
Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by Jerry on Mar 5th, 2018, 12:34am

It was number 1 on the Classic FM chart yesterday too. They played “Reveille”, which includes a theme bizarrely reminiscent of ELO’s hit "Xanadu" Re: New classical album recorded?
Post by Chaim on Mar 13th, 2018, 03:16am

I received my pre-order copy with Double Vinyl LP, CD and the signed music folio and it is an awesome package for any dedicated Banksian like myself. I agree with Tony that Five is the best of his orchestral albums and is closest to the instrumental material he did on A Curious Feeling, which is one of my favorite albums of all time. The orchestral format allows Tony to spread his wings and to not be confined with the conventional three-minute pop format. Also, Five is a Chord Fest! As Tony says, he often uses 173 chords instead of 3 chords--and that makes all of the difference. The Vinyl LP version is neat in that the album covers three sides, and the fourth side is an etching of several lingual representations of the number five, from ancient to current. The folio is signed by Tony and contains the 43 page orchestral score to Prelude to a Million Years. I am listening to the wonderful vinyl version and gazing at the gatefold cover as I write, which is awesome!

Oh how I'd love to see that score. What is the time signature when the piece starts? Does the time signature change during the first couple of minutes or does it stay the same? I find it awesome harmonically, but a bit confusing rhythmically.